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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22837207">Comfort</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCat46/pseuds/BlackCat46'>BlackCat46</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twelve's Team Prompts - Family [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, Fluff, Gen, Katniss and Effie being cute, Mother/Daughter relationship, Sassy Effie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:47:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22837207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCat46/pseuds/BlackCat46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Effie has been sent to find Katniss in the depths of District Thirteen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket, Katniss Everdeen &amp; Effie Trinket</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twelve's Team Prompts - Family [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, all. Hope you're well. This is the first of a three-part collection of oneshots that are only connected by timeframes and theme. Enjoy.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Soldier Trinket, go and retrieve the Mockingjay," President Coin commands dismissively, waving her hand at Effie, who huffs loudly. "Go."</p><p>"Not with <em>that</em> attitude," Effie scoffs. "What do you take me for? A Golden Retriever? If you're going to give me that attitude, lady, you can go yourself."</p><p>"Effie," Haymitch hisses.</p><p>"Soldier, did you sneeze your last brain cell out?" President Coin asks coldly. "You were given an order, now obey."</p><p>"Woof," Effie replies with a tone rivalling the older woman's. "I'm not a soldier, and I am not your soldier to boot. I'm here for my team, not you. If my girl doesn't want to be here today, she's not going to be here today."</p><p>"Effie..." Haymitch hisses.</p><p>"Do I need to put you into a detention cell for disobeying orders?" President Coin asks, her voice becoming dangerously calm. "Or execute you for declaring that your loyalties aren't with the rebel cause?"</p><p>"My loyalties are to my team," Effie replies, ignoring Haymitch's grab of her wrist. "My team are, for all intents and purposes, rebels. To sell you out would be to sell them out, and while there's no love in this for you, there's a lot for my team. You know as well as I do that I would never do anything that would harm them. And that is why I won't be hunting down Katniss and bringing her here."</p><p>"You'll do as you're told, Soldier," Coin tells her. "You have three seconds to get out of here and go find the girl, or you'll be put in detention."</p><p>Effie opens her mouth, and Haymitch hisses "Euphemia! Move it!"</p><p>She turns to him, betrayal all over her face, and snarls "Never, <em>ever</em> use my name again."</p><p>"Get out of here now, and don't say another word," Haymitch tells her softly. "Move."</p><p>She gets up with a huff and a glare that would have had Thirteen's President rolling dead on the floor, had looks been able to kill, then whips around and storms out, leaving a breeze behind her. She slams the door to Command so hard that a little bit of dust falls out of the ceiling, and heads off to find Katniss. She checks in every usual spot, behind pipes, in vents, in cupboards, Haymitch's room, the Everdeen compartment, even though it's as empty as always, in water tank closets, empty meeting rooms, the cafeteria, and worry starts to fill her as she realises that she can't find Katniss anywhere. She heads to her own compartment, and gets ready to flop onto her bed, only to see a small figure already under her sheets, holding her bear. "Katniss?" she asks quietly.</p><p>She peels the blanket back to see Katniss, fast asleep, her arms around Effie's teddy bear, looking much more relaxed and soft than Effie's ever seen her. The sight melts her, and she tucks Katniss in, smiling a little, kisses her forehead, and lies down on the other bunk for a nap. She hears shifting a few minutes later, and sits up too quickly, headbutting the ceiling above the bed hard in the process. Muttering something crude under her breath, she looks over to see Katniss panicking in her sleep. Effie takes her bear, putting it safely on the other bunk, and gets into bed next to Katniss, who screams "No!"</p><p>Effie lifts her up, gathers her close, and whispers "Shh, sweetie, it's all right. It's okay. You're safe. You're with me now."</p><p>"Mommy?" she asks. "Why are you here?"</p><p>Effie swallows hard and whispers "You're in my bed, dear. You're not there any more, you're here, with me, where you're safe. It's all right, darling, but if you don't want to see Coin today, you simply mustn't scream."</p><p>"Mommy," Katniss murmurs, burrowing close, clearly still asleep; she'd never have behaved this way awake, she's far too proud. "Mommy, please don't make me go back."</p><p>"I would never dare make you go back," Effie murmurs. "Never ever."</p><p>"They want to make me do things, Mommy," Katniss slurs quietly, fighting to be able to keep talking as Effie runs her fingers through her hair. "I don't want to be a bird. I just want to be me, keep Prim safe, and hunt. All I ever did. I don't want to be a bird."</p><p>"You're not a bird, my darling," Effie whispers. "Right now, you are you, darling girl, you're with me. Nobody will make you do anything, my sweet, sweet child. For now, you're safe and sound. Nobody can hurt you here. I won't let them. Sleep on, my sweet girl, you'll be all right."</p><p>"I love you, Mommy," Katniss mumbles, slumped onto Effie.</p><p>Effie keeps running her fingers through Katniss's hair, and dozes off only to be startled awake by the door opening, and Haymitch looking furious. "Are you here, Effie?" he asks furiously. "We're all looking for the girl, and Coin's livid."</p><p>"That makes two of us," Effie huffs softly, trying not to wake the sleeping teenager. "I'm not thrilled with her, either. I did find her, but she's not going back to Command, Haymitch. The poor child has collapsed out of exhaustion, and if your <em>President</em> has anything to say about it, she can take it up with me, I refuse to have her torment this teenager any further."</p><p>Haymitch smirks and says "All right. I'll tell her that Katniss is asleep, not where she is."</p><p>"Thank you," Effie replies quietly.</p><p>"Mommy, don't go," Katniss mumbles, her grip tightening. "They try to make me be a bird if you go."</p><p>"I'm not going anywhere, darling," Effie whispers, rubbing Katniss's scalp. She grins up toward Haymitch, seeing him grinning back. "She's dreaming."</p><p>"Yeah, she thinks you're her mom," he chuckles quietly. "All right, Princess. You keep her safe. I'll be back tonight, we'll all go for dinner together."</p><p>"Sounds like a plan," Effie whispers.</p><p>Katniss wakes up not long after Haymitch has left, murmurs "Effie? When did you get back?"</p><p>"That so called <em>President</em> commanded me to look for you," she says.</p><p>"When do I have to go back?" Katniss groans.</p><p>"Tomorrow," Effie says. "I didn't go back when I found you, either. I don't take kindly to people barking orders at me, nor do I appreciate them trying to bully my children, so I decided that you're staying here. You deserve a break."</p><p>Katniss grins and curls up again. "Coin doesn't understand who she's messing with," she murmurs, resting her head on Effie's stomach now. "Cinna once said not to ever mess with you. Coin missed the memo."</p><p>Effie giggles softly. "I'm sure she did," she sighs. "How are you feeling, darling?"</p><p>"Still kind of tired," Katniss says softly. "I don't really get restful sleep."</p><p>"Did you end up addicted to those pills I gave you?" Effie asks quietly, starting to feel guilty.</p><p>Katniss shakes her head and says "I never took them. I didn't want to end up addicted."</p><p>Effie breathes a small sigh of relief and asks "What helps you sleep?"</p><p>"Peeta," Katniss whispers sadly. "He helps me sleep."</p><p>Swallowing hard at the reminder that Peeta can't help her sleep in the current mess he's in from his stay in the Capitol, Effie whispers "Haymitch told me about the night you went to see him."</p><p>Katniss sighs and murmurs "Yeah?"</p><p>"Yes," Effie whispers. "He did. Forgive the intrusion, darling, but did that help? Knowing he would protect you?"</p><p>Katniss hesitates, then nods slightly. "It helped, yeah. He made sure that the nightmares didn't stick about," she says quietly. "It was like having Dad back."<br/>
Effie knows how much Katniss's father means to her, and what she's gone through without him. She quietly asks "Don't you get any comfort from your mother and sister?"</p><p>"Mom's usually checked out or in the hospital," Katniss whispers. "She hasn't cared about either of us since Dad died, and I know you think she does, but Prim was only seven, and she was crying for Mom to help her while she was starving to death, and Mom just stared right past her as if she wasn't there. That's not caring. Caring is what you do, what Haymitch does, what Dad did. You look after us, you make sure we're safe, you fight for us. Mom just checked out and doesn't come back. I don't want to talk to Prim, it's not her problem. It's mine. She's only a kid. None of this is fair to her."</p><p>"Where do you get comfort from, darling?" Effie asks softly.</p><p>"Haymitch, Peeta, you," Katniss lists. "Not many people are comforting now. I see my mom and Prim, and all I can think of is how they're endangered because of me, how I make one mistake, it's their lives on the line, all because they're unfortunate enough to be related to me. They didn't choose to stick with me, that was genetic lottery."</p><p>"They're safe here," Effie says softly. "You're unaware of how much political power you actually hold, darling. Everyone in this frozen dungeon loves your mother and sister, and there would be the whole world to pay if they died. They're lucky to be your family, darling girl. I trust you know what happened to your home?"</p><p>"Yeah," Katniss sighs.</p><p>"I don't say this to be horrible, my girl, but they would have been among the thousands still there today if they weren't related to you. Because of you, lives have been saved. Lives will be saved. All because you're helping the down-trodden and defeated make a stand. Now, don't you go making a bolt for it and exhausting yourself, I will carry you back here if you try it. This cause will only succeed if you're well rested, healthy, and slightly more sound minded than the nitwits running this place," Effie tells her gently. "That isn't terribly hard, is it? You get to sleep, eat, drink, and be cuddled until you're ready to fight again, and not a moment sooner."</p><p>Katniss smiles a little and says "This is why you're comforting."</p><p>"Glad to be of service," Effie chuckles. "Get some more rest, my girl. Haymitch will be by to collect us for dinner soon."</p><p>As Katniss stretches out and closes her eyes, resting happily on Effie, the older woman smiles, replaying the words <em>this is why you're comforting </em>over and over in her head, touched that she ever got something so open, honest, and kind from Katniss. She also knows that Katniss will deny ever having said that under threat of death, which just makes her smile more. She and Katniss will never see eye to eye, but she wouldn't ever change her for the world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you liked that one. I take prompts, so if you have any requests, feel free to let me know. I'm open for constructive criticism, questions, and any thoughts you have on this, so if you have anything you'd like to say, please feel free to let me know. </p><p>Hope you're well, and that this week is good to you. Love and light to you. Cat xxx</p></blockquote></div></div>
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